Category: Ask the President Column

“There was a time, not so many years ago, when the legal profession was truly honored . . . and when the courts and lawyers were held in the esteem of the general public . . . I believe the public has lost faith in the administration of justice and in lawyers and judges.” My…

As you undoubtedly know, the legislation authorizing the State Bar to collect 1998 fees from our membership was vetoed last month. Our mission in fulfilling our responsibility to regulate the legal profession and the conduct of attorneys in California is threatened. As is often the case in crucial moments like these, we can view our…

At press time, many issues remain unresolved as to the future of State Bar funding. It is still too early to predict the outcome. But no matter what the resolution, it is clear to me that attorney professionalism and civility will remain a high priority for us in the legal profession. The warning signs are…

Thanks George Kraw. I hear you loud and clear. Thank you Robert Rosenthal, Bruce Busch, Al Bianchi, Dale Bacigalupi and William Walters … you too have made an impression on my thought process. The bar president always receives a steady stream of letters and e-mail messages, but the governor’s veto of our funding authority has…

After weeks of listening to the governor and legislators, as well as hundreds of attorneys from all corners of the state, we have jointly come up with what I believe is the best solution to the funding crisis which continues to threaten the State Bar’s existence. The introduction of AB 1669 represents an enormous step…

The jury system is the cornerstone of our system of justice, but in many parts of California the jury system is in a state of crisis. The system is premised on the participation of a broad cross section of citizens. However, obtaining a representative jury pool is increasingly problematic. Low response rates to jury questionnaires…

During my inaugural address at last September’s annual meeting, I asked our membership to take on issues involving the representation of our children in need. There are more than 2.3 million children in the state of California living at or below the poverty level. There is no better group suited to advocate on their behalf…

On the rare occasion that my wife, Erin, is still awake when I return home at night from Sacramento, her first question usually is, “Any setbacks today?” My response is rarely “No.” Running as fast as I can in shoulder-deep water is an apt analogy for the progress we are making. Slow, but steady. In…

A few weeks ago I was struck by a certain irony as we celebrated Law Week in California. At a time when we salute the value of the rule of the law in our country, we are witnessing the possibility of dismantling the structure of the legal profession in our state — based on the political…

The decision to seek relief from the Supreme Court of California for the State Bar funding crisis did not come easily, nor did it come without significant and substantial debate. It had been the main subject of debate by the board of governors for almost eight months. Every conceivable effort was made to craft a…